Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Students enrolled in our course are encouraged to write for the course blog, and to read and comment on posts from students at other participating universities. The blog offers students the opportunity to analyze current events through the lens of the theory and case studies they engage with through the course.

These are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

Global fertilizer supply chains connect geopolitical events abroad to food production at home in ways most consumers don’t see.

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

On June 14, 2025, the lives of Melissa Hortman who was a House speaker in Minnesota and her husband Mark were taken in what authorities believe to be a politically motivated act of violence. The same day Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and...

The New Future of Warfare? How Social Media is Inflating Tensions Between the U.S. and Iran.

Social media is moving to the forefront of the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with political elites from both sides of the conflict using social media as a weapon to fabricate narratives and generate AI videos to publicly denounce the actions of one...

Ecuador’s Security Crisis and the Slow Erosion of Democracy

Mar 30, 2026 | University of Houston

Ecuador has been going through a serious crisis for some years now. The homicide rate jumped from 6 per 100,000 people in 2018 to 47 per 100,000 in 2023, which makes it hard...

Look at What They Took From You: MAGA Polarization Through Social Media

Mar 30, 2026 | Arizona State University

The official White House X account sits at over four million followers. Created in January of 2025, the social media page’s bio reads: “The Golden Age of America Begins...

Stealth Authoritarianism being an American Compromise.

Nov 20, 2023 | University of Memphis

The Democratic Erosion Project exist to help shed light on how democracy falls apart and ways to preserve it as the rise of authoritarian states spread across the democratic world. However in the...

Chad’s Main Opposition Leader Fears Returning to His Country

Nov 20, 2023 | Northeastern University

The political exile of Succes Masra, leader of a main opposition party to the military junta in Chad, has recently come to an end after over a year away from the country. What is still unclear is...

‘The rest of the world is looking,’ – President Biden Delivers a Warning on U.S. Democratic Backsliding Preceding 2024 Election.

Nov 17, 2023 | Salem State University

On September 28, 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden delivered a speech commemorating the late senator John McCain, addressing the state of democratic backsliding in America, and warning Americans of the...

Artificial Intelligence and Authoritarian Governments

Nov 17, 2023 | Salem State University

It's common knowledge that countries like China, North Korea and Russia restrict internet access to keep ideas out and rebellions in. They will use any excuse to monitor, restrict, shut down speech,...

Slovakia’s Decision to Deter Immigrants from Entering the Country and Its Connection to Populism

Nov 15, 2023 | Salem State University

On October 30, 2023, the newly appointed Slovak government deployed police and armed forces to the border it shares with Hungary. This deployment came after Prime Minister Robert Fico, who came to...

How a Third Wave of Autocratization Has Impacted Montenegro

Nov 9, 2023 | Salem State University

On October 30th, the Montenegrin parliament voted for a new government after months of political tension. This tension started in June when “Europe Now”, a centrist party with a primary goal of...

Democracy in the United Kingdom: Resilient or a Recipe for Erosion?

Nov 5, 2023 | Arizona State University

As an entrenched democracy with widespread and relatively open political and social institutions, the United Kingdom might not immediately come to mind for a state that is backsliding away from...

Food and Democracy: Democracy-building U.S. Aid Program under Threat

Nov 5, 2023 | Arizona State University

In 2021, nearly 4 million people were assisted by the McGovern-Dole Food for Education program including 2.1 million school age children across the entire globe. Going into 2023 and 2024, there is...

Albania is on a slow authoritarian spiral

Oct 31, 2023 | Salem State University

Former Prime Minister of Albania Sali Berisha and his son-in-law Jamarber Maltezzi are embroiled in corruption scandals. Berisha is charged with money laundering and corruption in a scheme involving...